Custody cases for children of rape

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:41:00 CDTBy: IPR

A Chicago attorney is asking Illinois legislators to do more to protect the children of rape victims. Shauna Prewitt is an attorney now. When she was a senior in college, she was raped and became pregnant. She decided to keep the child, a daughter. And then she became a victim of a different stripe.

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She says less than 5% of all rapes end with a conviction, leaving victims like her without protection. Prewitt is pressing legislators to lower that standard ... so "clear and convincing" evidence of a rape would be enough to restrict an attacker's parental rights. She says that is still a substantial hurdle for a woman to prove. And it is already the standard for other custody cases, like those involving abuse and neglect. A House committee has approved the proposal.